Here’s a guide to some of the best shows opening in London this week…
The Wild Party, The Other Palace: officially opening the newly named The Other Palace, Drew McOnie directs and choreographs this new production based on Joseph Moncure March’s poem.
A glittering, blackly comic musical set against the backdrop of Manhattan decadence and 1920s excess, The Wild Party tells the story of Queenie and Burrs, a vaudeville showgirl and vaudeville clown, who decide to throw the party to end all parties in a bid to save their toxic relationship. But as the gin flows, the jazz swings and the sexual tension smoulders, debauchery soon turns to tragedy, as even the wildest of parties can’t last forever.
The production stars Tony Award winner Frances Ruffelle, John Owen-Jones and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt.
To book tickets visit Discount Theatre.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com, Theatre People.com and UK Tickets.co.uk.
The Girls, Phoenix Theatre: officially opening on Tuesday (21st February), Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s new musical is based on the Calendar Girls, telling the true story of a group of women who did something extraordinary.
The cast includes Debbie Chazen as Ruth, Sophie-Louise Dann as Celia, Michele Dotrice as Jessie, Claire Machin as Cora, Claire Moore as Chris and Joanna Riding as Annie.
To book tickets visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk and ATG Tickets.
Twelfth Night, National Theatre: starring Tamsin Greig and directed by Simon Godwin, this new production of Shakespeare’s comedy officially opens on the 23rd.
A ship is wrecked on the rocks. Viola is washed ashore but her twin brother Sebastian is lost. Determined to survive on her own, she steps out to explore a new land.
So begins a whirlwind of mistaken identity and unrequited love. The nearby households of Olivia and Orsino are overrun with passion. Even Olivia’s upright housekeeper Malvolia is swept up in the madness.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Young Vic Theatre: Joe Hill-Gibbins directs this new production, starring Jemima Rooper.
Dark fantasies and nightmarish visions unfold in this bold take on Shakespeare’s unparalleled tale of love, betrayal and desire. Director Joe Hill-Gibbins teams up with designer Johannes Schütz (Three Sisters) to dive into the subconscious of Shakespeare’s masterpiece.
Lizzie, Greenwich Theatre: this UK premiere of Tim Maner, Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer and Alan Stevens Hewitt’s rock musical is presented by Fredericia Teater in association with Aria Entertainment.
On a sweltering summer morning in 1892, in a small New England city, a prominent businessman and his wife were brutally axed to death in their home. Their daughter Lizzie Borden was the prime suspect. Lizzie’s trial was a coast-to-coast media sensation, and her story has become an American legend.